The name of this Little Korea gem means “bear”; a smiling ursine image is stenciled on the main window. The restaurant is just as big-hearted, a cheery, plant-lined bandbox with the clatter of dishes coming from the open kitchen, a TV tuned to Korean cooking shows, and the casual feel of a night out at a friend’s apartment. The staff, not merely eager, seems truly to want to make you happy.

The food is a mood enhancer, too. The seafood pancake—fluffy, veined with scallions, and studded with tender baby octopus—is as good as we’ve found. So are the complex chili-stoked tofu-and-oyster soup called soon doo boo and the house-made kimchee, those bands of fiery, pickled crunch. Barbecue is done in the kitchen, which cuts down on tableside theatrics, but the luscious, crisp-edged pork belly is compensation enough.